CHAPTER 4

Building Teams, Adaptive and

Situational Leadership, and Leadership
Power
 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

• E X P L A I N T H E F O R M A T I O N , D E V E L O P M E N T, A N D
S U S TA I N M E N T S TA G E S O F T E A M B U I L D I N G .
• U N D E R S TA N D A D A P T I V E P E R S O N A L L E A D E R S H I P
B E H AV I O R S .
• D E F I N E Y O U R A D A P T I V E L E A D E R S H I P B E H AV I O R S
D U R I N G S I T U AT I O N A L O R E N V I R O N M E N TA L C H A N G E S
FA C I N G T H E O R G A N I Z AT I O N .
• DEFINE PERSONAL AND POSITION POWER.
• DEFINE THE ELEMENTS OF POWER.
• A P P LY T H E E L E M E N T S O F P O W E R A S A L E A D E R .
KEY TERM

leadership climate

• Is the state of what employees or subordinates

believe how the leaders have shaped the
organizational climate to be in terms of level of trust
they have in the leader and the level of empowerment
they have to perform duties and responsibilities in an
organization.
 CREATING A LEADERSHIP CLIMATE FOR
TEAM BUILDING

• LEADERS WHO ENGAGE IN BUILDING A COHESIVE TEAM

E X H I B I T A S E L F L E S S AT T I T U D E A N D A S T R O N G S E N S E
O F D U T Y T O WA R D T H E O R G A N I Z AT I O N ’ S VA L U E S A N D
MISSION.
• THEY ARE THOUGHT OF AS TRUE BELIEVERS OF AN
I D E A L O R G A N I Z AT I O N , T R A N S C E N D I N G T H E I R D E S I R E
FOR PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND INSTEAD
WORKING FOR THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IDENTIFIED
BY THE TEAM.
F I G U R E 4 . 1 E X A M P L E O F A N O R G A N I Z A T I O N T E A M
S T R U C T U R E I N A M O R E S T R U C T U R E D L I N E - A N D -
S T A F F C O N F I G U R A T I O N
F I G U R E 4 . 2 E X A M P L E O F A N O R G A N I Z A T I O N T E A M
S T R U C T U R E I N A L E S S S T R U C T U R E D
C O N F I G U R A T I O N
 THE TEAM STRUCTURE THE LEADER
INHERITS

• N O M AT T E R W H AT T Y P E O F O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L
STRUCTURE PRESENTS ITSELF TO THE LEADER,
F O R M I N G , E N R I C H I N G , A N D S U S TA I N I N G T H E T E A M
A R E R E Q U I R E D T O N O T O N LY B E A S U C C E S S F U L
L E A D E R B U T A L S O H AV E A N E F F E C T I V E A N D
E F F I C I E N T T E A M T H AT P R O V I D E S D I R E C T I O N ,
G U I D A N C E , A N D P U R P O S E T O S U B O R D I N AT E T E A M S
W I T H I N T H E O R G A N I Z AT I O N .
• T H R E E S TA G E S O F L E A D I N G T E A M S :
• Formation
• Enrichment
• Sustainment
KEY TERM

Enrichment Stage

• In team building, leaders learn to trust followers by

listening, following up on what they hear, establishing
clear lines of authority, and setting standards. The
most important thing a leader does to strengthen the
team is ensuring for individual and collective training.
KEY TERM

Formation Stage

• In team building, the leader is responsible for

welcoming or receiving new team members to the
organization. How the leader “receives” and “orients”
a new team member is crucial to the member feeling
fully accepted as part of the team.
KEY TERM

Sustainment Stage

• In team building, employees do what is necessary to

obtain organizational success without being directed
to do so. They clearly identify with their team, develop
personal ownership for tasks, and take pride in team
accomplishments.
TABLE 4.1 OVERVIEW OF TEAM-
BUILDING STAGES
TABLE 4.1 OVERVIEW OF TEAM-BUILDING
STAGES (CONTINUED)
TABLE 4.1 OVERVIEW OF TEAM-BUILDING
STAGES (CONTINUED)
KEY TERM

adaptability

• The adaptive leader has the ability to recognize

changes in the environment affecting the
organization, identify the critical elements of the
situation presented to the leader, and make the
appropriate decision to mitigate the situation to the
benefit of the organization and its employees.
 ADAPTIVE AND SITUATIONAL
LEADERSHIP

• T H E F U N C T I O N S O F T E A M S A R E N E V E R S T A G N A N T,
A N D L E A D E R S R E Q U I R E S I T U AT I O N A L AWA R E N E S S AT
ALL TIMES TO KEEP THEIR TEAMS EFFECTIVE AND
E F F I C I E N T.
• S I T U AT I O N A L L E A D E R S H I P D E S C R I B E S A W AY O F
A D A P T I N G L E A D E R S H I P B E H AV I O R S O R S T Y L E S T O
T H E F E AT U R E S O F T H E S I T U AT I O N A N D T H E
EMPLOYEES THEY ARE CONFRONTED WITH. THE KEY
P O I N T I S T H AT T H E L E A D E R A D A P T S T O T H E
S I T U AT I O N B Y P R O V I D I N G G U I D A N C E , D I R E C T I O N ,
PURPOSE, AND THE MEANS FOR THE TEAM TO
SUCCEED.
• THERE ARE TWO AREAS LEADERS NEED TO BE
COGNIZANT OF:
• The first is identified as the area of operation or responsibility.
FIGURE 4.3 EXAMPLE OF AREA OF
OPERATIONS AND AREA OF INTEREST
KEY TERM

complexity theory

• Involves interacting units that are dynamic (changing)

and adaptive, and the complex pattern of behaviors
and structures that emerge are usually unique and
difficult to predict from a description of the involved
units.
 COMPLEXITY THEORY

• T H E A R E A O F O P E R AT I O N S A N D A R E A O F I N T E R E S T
REPRESENT COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS AND ARE
USED TO EXPLAIN HOW EMERGENT PROCESSES CAN
FA C I L I TAT E H O W O R G A N I Z AT I O N S A D A P T T O
TURBULENT ENVIRONMENTS.
• Consider the area of operation/responsibility to be the working environment
that directly impacts the day-to-day operations inside and outside of the
organization.
•  Consider the area of interest as the area the leader needs to be situationally
aware of outside of the day-to-day operations.
• C O M P L E X I T Y T H E O RY I N V O LV E S I N T E R A C T I N G U N I T S
T H AT A R E D Y N A M I C ( C H A N G I N G ) A N D A D A P T I V E , A N D
T H E C O M P L E X PAT T E R N O F B E H AV I O R S A N D
S T R U C T U R E S T H AT E M E R G E A R E U S U A L LY U N I Q U E
 D E V E L O P I N G A N A D A P T I V E C U LT U R E

• A D A P T I V E C U LT U R E :
• consists of developing policies, standard operating procedures, and historical
practices that support the leadership team’s ability to respond quickly to
changing environmental conditions.
• individuals are encouraged to take calculated risks (not gambles), experiment
to develop baseline response actions, innovate to solve unique circumstances,
and learn from these experiences.
• ADAPTIVE LEADERS ARE AGENTS OF CHANGE
M A N A G E M E N T. T H I S M E A N S H E L P I N G O T H E R T E A M
M E M B E R S , E S P E C I A L LY L E A D E R S , R E C O G N I Z E
E N V I R O N M E N TA L C H A N G E S I N A D VA N C E A N D L E A R N
HOW TO BUILD CONSENSUS AMONG TEAM MEMBERS
O N H O W T O S O LV E T H E P R O B L E M A S T H E C H A N G E I S
OCCURRING.
KEY TERM

empowerment

• Involves autonomy, shared responsibility, and

influence in making important decisions by the leader
and the led. The level of authority a leader possesses
can determine the level of decentralization allowed to
subordinates and subunits.
KEY TERM

personal power

• This power is derived from followers and is based on

the leader’s or on a particular follower’s behaviors in
terms of the amount of referent and expert power he
or she possesses.
 PERSONAL POWER

• C H A R I S M A T I C L E A D E R S H I P, D I S P L A Y E D B Y A
L E G I T I M AT E L E A D E R ’ S P O S I T I O N P O W E R , I S O F T E N A
STRONG SOURCE OF PERSONAL POWER.
• PERSONAL POWER CAN BE VIEWED AS A SPIRITUAL
P O W E R O R A P E R S O N A L C H A R A C T E R Q U A L I T Y T H AT
GIVES AN INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE OR AUTHORITY
OVER A GROUP OF PEOPLE.
KEY TERM

legitimate leader

• Possesses the formal downward flow of authority

given to a leader or manager by an authorized agent
(owner or executive manager) over the work activities
of followers or subordinates, as well as their
adherence to rules and direction. Consent of a
legitimate leader’s authority rests in the hands of the
follower as much as the person providing the
authority.
KEY TERM

informal leader

• A person, follower, or subordinate who does not hold

a legitimate leadership position in an organization but
may also display charismatic leadership.
 LEGITIMATE AND INFORMAL LEADERS

• A L E G I T I M AT E L E A D E R P O S S E S S E S T H E F O R M A L
D O W N WA R D F L O W O F A U T H O R I T Y G I V E N T O H I M O R
HER BY AN AUTHORIZED LEADER ABOVE HIS OR HER
O W N P O S I T I O N . I T I S I M P O R TA N T T O R E M E M B E R T H AT
C O N S E N T O F A L E G I T I M AT E L E A D E R ’ S A U T H O R I T Y
RESTS IN THE HANDS OF THE FOLLOWER AS MUCH AS
T H E P E R S O N P R O V I D I N G T H E A U T H O R I T Y.
• EVEN THOUGH FOLLOWERS MUST CONSENT TO
A U T H O R I T Y B A S E D O N L E G I T I M AT E P O W E R ,
FOLLOWERS CAN RESTRICT THEIR PERFORMANCE AND
D E M O N S T R AT E D I S S AT I S FA C T I O N B Y I N I T I AT I N G
G R I E VA N C E S , H O L D I N G D E M O N S T R AT I O N S , A N D
PRESENTING COMPLAINTS TO A UNION, HUMAN
R E S O U R C E S D E P A R T M E N T, O R P E R S O N W I T H A H I G H E R
A U T H O R I T Y L E V E L T H A N T H E L E G I T I M AT E L E A D E R ,
KEY TERM

position power

• Derived from executive leaders, this power is

delegated down the chain of command as best
represented in government and military organizations.
A leader who holds a legitimate position of authority
has more potential to influence power than an
employee who is not in a position of legitimate
authority.
 POSITION POWER

• POSITION POWER IS DERIVED OR GRANTED FROM

EXECUTIVE LEADERS OR GOVERNING BODIES AND IS
C O M M O N LY D E L E G AT E D D O W N T H E C H A I N O F
COMMAND, AS REPRESENTED IN GOVERNMENT AND
M I L I TA RY O R G A N I Z AT I O N S .
• A L E A D E R W H O H O L D S A L E G I T I M AT E P O S I T I O N O F
A U T H O R I T Y I N A N O R G A N I Z AT I O N H A S M O R E
P O T E N T I A L T O I N F L U E N C E T H E D YA D I C R E L AT I O N S H I P
BETWEEN THE LEADER AND THE LED THAN A LEADER
W H O D O E S N O T H AV E L E G I T I M AT E P O W E R .
• T H I S M E A N S T H AT T H E R E A R E M O R E O P P O R T U N I T I E S
F O R A B U S E O F T H E P O W E R R E L AT I O N S H I P B E T W E E N
THE LEADER AND THE LED.
• Power is used to influence followers or subordinates to do something they
otherwise might not do on their own.
 ELEMENTS OF POWER

• PERSONAL POWER:
• Expert power
• Referent power
• POSITION POWER:
• Legitimate power
• Coercive power
• Reward power
• Information power
• Ecological power
TA B L E 4 . 2 S O U R C E S O F P O W E R
TABLE 4.2 SOURCES OF POWER
(CONTINUED)
TABLE 4.2 SOURCES OF POWER
(CONTINUED)
KEY TERM

power politics

• Being very clear about where the formal

organizational position power resides and how it is
used.
 THE POLITICS OF POWER

• PA R T O F I N F L U E N C E TA C T I C S I S T H E U S E O F
POLITICAL POWER.
• Political power: Political power occurs when people choose their words and
actions based on influencing how they want others to react rather than based
on what they really think. Additionally, political power can derive from successful
competition for perceived limited resources.